1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer program product in which a game program is recorded whereby the game develops as a moving body moves on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to manipulation by a player.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, game apparatuses are proposed whereby, for a virtual vehicle running on a course formed in a virtual space, the pitch angle, yaw angle, roll angle, running speed, acceleration, etc. of the vehicle are simulated from its movement, acceleration, road surface resistance, centrifugal force, moment of inertia, etc., in response to the player's inputted manipulations of the steering wheel, accelerator, brakes, gear shift, etc. By displaying the resulting vehicle movement on the game screen, a racing game is developed. In such racing games, sidewalls are provided, such as fences, guard rails, concrete walls, etc. on the edge of the course, as the vehicles race along on the course.
However, with conventional game equipment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, players, in order to travel the shortest possible course, can ram their vehicle 40 into sidewall 51 on the inner side of a corner and skillfully make it slide in contact therewith, thus causing vehicle 40 to decelerate due to the resistance from friction with sidewall 51, enabling very fast cornering. This cheating technique, based on “insider knowledge,” has become widespread among advanced players. Taking advantage of this technique, a racing technique becomes possible which could never exist with a real vehicle and, however much one says “it's a game,” this technique is not desirable in a race game which faithfully simulates the movement of an actual vehicle.
For this reason, conventional game equipment is programmed such that, in the case that vehicle 40 comes into contact with sidewall 51, the speed of vehicle 40 decelerates. FIG. 7 shows the flow chart which describes the deceleration processing for vehicle 40 that occurs when vehicle 40 comes into contact with sidewall 51. As shown in the same figure, with a conventional game program, vehicle 40 running processing (S20) is done, and if it is detected (S21; YES) that vehicle 40 has made contact with sidewall 51, deceleration processing (S22) of speed V of vehicle 40 is done by the amount of Rf. If vehicle 40 contacts sidewall 51 at point A, then through this deceleration processing, as shown in FIG. 8, in the frame (frame 1) following the frame (frame 0) displayed at the time of contact, an image is displayed of vehicle 40 passing point B at a speed of V-Rf. Since images are displayed on the display at the rate of 60 frames per second, vehicle 40, by contacting sidewall 51, undergoes a sudden deceleration of vehicle speed in the interval of one frame.
However, if for the purpose of detering the above mentioned “insider technique,” vehicle speed is caused to decelerate suddenly when vehicle 40 contacts sidewall 51, that can cause the fresh feeling of the game to be lost and is thus undesirable. In particular, if, to control use of the above-mentioned insider technique by advanced players, a sudden and large deceleration is applied as the penalty when the sidewall is contacted, beginners will be negatively impacted. Beginners, because of their undeveloped skill level, may contact the sidewall through a mistake in vehicle operation. Thus, if even in such cases beginners are subjected to the same kind of penalty, that may cause them to lose their zest for game play. Thus, what is desired is development of a technology which controls the insider technique of advanced players, while maintaining exciting race development to stimulate the enthusiasm of beginners for the game play, even though they are not skilled in operation. In addition, even in cases where a shortcut is taken, driving off the course, if sudden deceleration is applied as the penalty, as described above, that results in spoiling the player's enthusiasm for play.
To deal with this, the present invention, for a game which has a moving body moving on a course formed in a virtual space, in response to manipulation by a player, provides a computer program product in which a game program is recorded which enables a penalty to be assessed when the moving body contacts the sidewall at the edge of the course, such penalty being applied through an appropriate means without causing sudden deceleration and without spoiling beginners' enthusiasm for play.